The ketogenic diet, with its promises of rapid weight loss and better health, has captivated the attention of millions. Yet, many people struggle with not losing weight on keto. Why?
In this article, we’ll delve into the science behind both common and unexpected reasons for not losing weight on keto. From hidden carbs and metabolic adaptations to the psychological toll of restrictive eating, we will explore the multifaceted challenges that can impede weight loss on the popular keto diet.
Drawing from my personal journey as an eating psychology coach and someone living in recovery from compulsive eating, I’ll also share the steps I took to make peace with food and break free from keto chaos. By the end, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of weight loss and discover a path to feeling normal and balanced around food.
What Is the Keto Diet?
In order to gain a deeper understanding of the normal reasons for not losing weight on keto, it’s important to start with some basics about this very popular diet. The ketogenic diet, commonly referred to as the keto diet, is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that has gained significant popularity for its potential health benefits, including weight loss.
A study published in the journal Nutrients found that the keto diet supports weight loss, at least in the short term, but there is “no conclusive evidence” that it’s due to macronutrient quantity or caloric intake.[1] In other words, it’s impossible to know if you lost weight on the keto diet because you ate less carbs or because you ate less calories—and this is an important distinction if you’re going to fight carb cravings, sacrifice beloved foods, and deal with feelings of deprivation on the keto diet.
Furthermore, one of the most-referenced review studies on the keto diet, published in 2014 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, focuses mainly on its short-term efficacy for weight loss.[2] It cites only one study supporting long-term efficacy: a 2013 study published in Nutrients where participants followed a short-term keto diet and then a calorie-controlled Mediterranean diet for one year during maintenance.[3]
That’s a lot of clinical jargon, so here’s what it means: if you want to lose weight with keto and then keep it off, in a way that’s actually backed by science, you’re going to have to count calories and follow a strict Mediterranean diet, which limits processed foods, long after you’ve reached your goal weight. Is that sustainable?
Evidence-Based Reasons for Not Losing Weight on Keto
There are many evidence-based reasons for not losing weight on keto, and I hope that by understanding the science, that you feel more normal if you struggle with this challenging diet. Once we get through this list, I’ll share my own experience with the keto diet and what ultimately worked much better.
Here are some common reasons for not losing weight on keto—backed by science:
1. Consuming too many carbs
Short story: Many people feel out of control around food, and the keto diet can heighten this pattern, causing weight loss plateaus.
Consuming too many carbs on a keto diet—where the goal is 5-10% carbohydrates—prevents your body from entering ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.[4] If you’re not losing weight on keto, you might be eating too many carbs, which can come from unsuspecting places like condiments, salad dressings, certain vegetables, processed meats, and dairy products.
However, the restrictive nature of low-carb diets can also lead to disordered eating behaviors, according to a recent study published in Eating and Weight Disorders.[5] The study found that a low-carb diet was associated with higher levels of binge eating, food cravings, and loss-of-control compared to non-dieters. Loss of control around food can certainly explain why someone is not losing weight on keto.
2. Craving carbs due to restricting carbs
Short story: Humans are wired to want what they can't have.
There’s a good reason why so many people end up binge eating carbs after following a ketogenic diet: restricting carbs makes you crave carbs!
A randomized controlled trial—the most rigorous type of clinical study—published in The Journal of Medical Investigation found that a high-fat diet increased cravings for sweet foods.[6] When the keto diet requires you to limit almost all sweets, it becomes an internal tug-of-war that’s hard to win.
3. Eating too many calories
Short story: The keto diet suppresses your appetite, but only from a physical standpoint.
Consuming more calories than your body needs can result in a caloric surplus. When this is sustained over a long period of time, such as with habitual overeating, it can lead to weight gain and prevent weight loss.
Some people argue that it’s difficult to overeat on the keto diet because it suppresses your appetite. This is backed by science as a study published in the journal Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care found that high-fat, low-carb diets suppress the ‘hunger hormone’ ghrelin.[7]
When ghrelin is suppressed, hunger signals are diminished, reducing the urge to eat—at least from a physical standpoint. This does not account for the urge to eat out of emotion. If someone embarks on a keto diet without addressing emotional eating tendencies, it may explain why they are not losing weight on keto.
4. Dieting too many times
Short story: People with a long history of dieting frequently struggle with not losing weight on keto.
According to a 2024 scoping review published in the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, when someone repeatedly diets, their body undergoes metabolic adaptations to conserve energy. This means that their resting metabolic rate can decrease more than expected, making it harder to maintain a calorie deficit.[8]
Essentially, the body becomes more efficient at using energy, which slows down weight loss. This is often referred to as the “thrifty phenotype,” where individuals who have dieted extensively show smaller reductions in energy expenditure during fasting and larger increases during overfeeding, making it harder to lose weight over time.
If you’re not losing weight on keto, look back at your history of dieting. When was the last time that you dieted? Has your metabolism had time to sufficiently recover from the damage of restrictive dieting?
5. Feeling deprived
Short story: Feeling deprived of carbs and sweets—the human psyche can only take so much.
While on the keto diet, have you ever had a craving for something carb-rich like crackers and opted for something keto-friendly like cheese crisp? Did it leave a lingering wanting for your original craving that caught up to you when your willpower was low, like late at night or even in the middle of the night?
A study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that depriving yourself of beloved foods significantly increases cravings for them.[9] If you’re not losing weight on keto and you’re someone that particularly loves carbs, this could explain why.
Furthermore, a study published in The Western Journal of Nursing Research found that feelings of deprivation correlated with weight cycling, or repeatedly losing and gaining weight.[10] Weight cycling is associated with serious health consequences like poor cardiometabolic health.[11] If you’re not losing weight on keto because you regain any weight that you initially lose, keep in mind that this behavior comes at a cost.
On the flip side, giving up diets like keto and embracing intuitive eating—making food choices based on health as well as enjoyment, while honoring hunger and fullness signals—is associated with improved metabolic fitness, eating habits, and psychological health.[12]
6. Not exercising enough
Short story: Exercise is great for your health. Exercising solely for the sake of weight loss isn't so great.
Not exercising enough might prevent weight loss on the keto diet because physical activity helps regulate your metabolic rate and, under specific circumstances, promote weight loss.
That said, exercising solely for the sake of weight loss—neglecting important factors like joyful movement—may not contribute to overall well-being. A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that weight-focused exercise is associated with a stronger urge to eat compared to exercising for reasons other than weight loss (e.g. stress management, socialization, challenge, and enjoyment).[13]
In this light, exercising for weight loss could actually be the culprit of not losing weight on keto, which can be very frustrating when you have good intentions and make the effort. If that’s you, rest assured that there are steps for making peace with food at the end of this list.
7. Feeling stressed
Short story: It's not just in your head—stress makes you want carbs and sugar more than normal.
According to a study published in Minerva Endocrinologica, stress increases cravings for hyperpalatable foods, those high in fat and sugar, through hormonal and neurobiological changes that increase their appeal.[14] If you’re craving carbs more than normal, stress could be the culprit, which is no surprise given then tracking every single thing you eat causes the release of cortisol, the stress hormone.[15]
If you’re currently dealing with stress, this could be another reason why you’re not losing weight on keto. Hyperpalatable foods are strictly limited on a keto diet, and there are only so many keto-friendly desserts that can tide you over until you want the real thing.
8. Feeling unsatisfied
Short story: Satisfaction is about more than meeting your caloric needs.
The keto diet is widely promoted as a diet that promotes feelings of satiety and fullness, and plenty of clinical evidence backs this up.[16] High-fat foods are filling, plain and simple. So why does a keto diet often leave a nagging urge for more?
There is a distinction to be made between physical satisfaction and emotional satisfaction. Someone can eat a keto-friendly meal that “satisfies” their caloric needs while feeling unsatisfied after eating, triggering the search for more food. Any food can satisfy hunger but only a specific food can satisfy a craving.[17]
9. Cutting out joy from the eating experience
Short story: Don't eliminate the joy of eating, it's an important aspect of healthy eating.
If you’re not losing weight on keto, you might feel tempted to up your game by eliminating any ‘fun foods’ that contain carbs and canceling social commitments that involve eating. However, these well-intentioned efforts to avoid temptation can backfire. Eliminating joy and socialization from the eating experience is associated with poorer health, not greater health.
A scoping review published in PLoS (Public Library of Science) One found that eating pleasure—including sensory and social dynamics—is linked to better diet quality, better food choices, and healthier portion sizes.[18] Eating pleasure should not be viewed as something to banish; in fact, it should be viewed as a necessary ingredient for healthy eating and holistic well-being.
Just like feelings of deprivation can lead to cravings for carbs, feelings of joylessness and isolation can lead to overindulgence. If you’re not losing weight on keto, you might be caught in this vicious cycle as the keto diet overlooks the psychological reasons behind overeating.
Now that we’ve explored the reasons for not losing weight on keto, as per extensive clinical studies, I’d like to share my personal experience with this diet (spoiler alert: it never worked) and how I finally broke the cycle.
My Personal Experience with the Keto Diet
Back when I was still trying to lose weight by dieting, keto was my favorite. I’d always experience rapid weight loss within the first few days—even though it was probably only water weight. A recent study published in the journal Nutrients states that “during the first days of [the keto diet], the main contributor to weight loss is the water linked to muscle glycogen [storage].”[19]
However, I didn’t really care what kind of weight it was—and I don’t think I’m the only person who feels that way. It just felt good to feel thinner than the day before. However, that feel-good high would always come crashing down. After a few days of successfully eating low-carb, I’d crave carbs like crazy and end up binge eating sweets and carbs, usually late at night. In a frustrating turn of events that I would often revisit, I’d end up munching on cookies at midnight while standing in front of the pantry. It was not fun.
Cyclically losing and gaining weight—a pattern called weight cycling, which is a common side effect of the restrict-binge cycle, which I was fully caught in—was the worst part. But there were also other unpleasant side effects, like how difficult exercise was!
Back then, I was a member of the UFC gym, which specializes in high-intensity interval training. I’ll never forget how difficult those workouts would feel whenever I’d follow a keto diet and eat low-carb. I was gassed within 2 minutes! In hindsight, this makes sense because I never could stick to the keto diet long enough to become “fat adapted,” and my body was essentially running on fumes without its preferred form of energy: glucose, which comes from carbs.
Have you been here before? Gleefully celebrating your pants fitting loose—or at least comfortably—a few days after eating keto, and then feeling totally awful about yourself for “caving in” and binge eating carbs and sweets a few days or weeks later? By now, I hope you know that it’s not your fault. Your body and mind are wired to rebel against restrictive and joyless diets. So, where do we go from here?
Recovering from Keto Plateaus: The Path to Food Freedom
The key to recovering from the restrict-binge cycle and feeling normal around food again is to find a sustainable way of eating that promotes both physical and mental well-being. If you’re ready to break free from the cycle of restrictive dieting and reclaim a healthier relationship with food, here are some steps to help you on your journey to food freedom:
- Give up dieting: Instead of following food rules like the keto diet, try to follow your own body’s wisdom. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full, and enjoy the foods that you love and make you feel nourished.
- Steady your nerves: Giving up dieting can spark a fear of weight gain for many people. Don’t worry, I have a YouTube video where I walk you through this fear, which you can find in my article on intuitive eating and the fear of weight gain.
- Address emotional eating: If you struggle to stop at fullness (which is where the fear of weight gain often comes from) learning how to navigate emotional eating can greatly help. Studies show that difficulties in emotion regulation, along with low distress tolerance, significantly influence loss-of-control over eating.[20] To help with this, explore tools that foster emotion regulation like my Stop, Drop, & Feel®️ technique.
- Enjoy carbs: After struggling with the keto diet, you’ll likely need to recover from feelings of deprivation, and there’s no better way to do this than by enjoying carbs again. Focus on eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full to honor your health and well-being.
- Enjoy food again: Along with enjoying carbs again, it’s also important to embrace the joy of eating! If you used to cancel plans to avoid being around tempting foods while on a keto diet, gently reintroduce socialization back into your eating experiences. It’s a great way to promote holistic well-being.
You deserve a life where you enjoy your food and the experiences around it. The keto diet, like every other diet, causes feelings of deprivation, isolation, and obsession around food. Overcoming these patterns is not an overnight process, but you can begin your unique journey towards healing by focusing on listening to your body and rediscovering the pleasure and satisfaction that food can bring.
Finding Weight Stability Beyond Keto
Recovering from the restrict-binge cycle and achieving food freedom requires more than just changing what you eat. It involves embracing a more compassionate and balanced approach to eating that prioritizes both physical nourishment and emotional well-being.
By letting go of restrictive dieting, honoring your body’s hunger and fullness cues, and finding true joy in eating, you can create a sustainable and fulfilling path to lasting weight stability and better health.
Of course, there are many other steps for making peace with food, which is my specialty as an eating psychology coach. If you want to continue to explore ways to feel normal around food again, browse through my eating psychology blog or take something with you by downloading my freebies below:
